Battle of Mobile OS: Apple iOS vs Google Android

IOS being developed by Apple and Android Operating System being developed by Google are striving hard for their supremacy in the world of Mobile Operating Systems. While Apple is a company with good Hardware as well as its own software (iOS).

Google the search engine giant has its own resources and stamina to make Android stand first .With these two giant companies developing their own Mobile Operating Systems the heat is up in the mobile market bringing Symbian and other Operating Systems down.

We can clearly see the competition between the Applications developed and the devices being sold all over the world. Google is trying to integrate all its Desktop services to mobile by providing all its services through Android OS. Truly speaking the applications for iOS are more in number compared with that of Android (Because the entire US Market is IOS dependent) but the app share for Android is growing rapidly.

One finds it’s very difficult to compare between that of an Apple IPhone and to Google’s Android, because they are not the same when integrating both Hardware and software together. An IPhone comes both Hardware and Software integrated together but it’s not the case with Android.

In Android the Hardware may be the best but the software that integrates it may not be the perfect to meet the needs of hardware and hence a poor outcome. Keeping this in view let us now have a comparison between these two operating systems.

IOS

The first and most important advantage of IOS is its simplicity in using the interface. Even children can use the IOS with much ease and comfort. Tons of iPhone apps till date and still growing.

Android

Android bought a revolution in the User Interface after people are fed-up with the boring Symbian Icons and UI. Tons of Android apps and still growing.

Apps in IOS use better graphics, have better UI and are very easy to use.

Apps in Android use basic graphics and all the functionality lies in the menus and are hidden under options.

Apple says NO to Flash support. It supports only two platforms, HTML5 and its App store.

A Beta version of Flash Player 10.1 available on Android 2.2.Desktop like Browsing experience.

Apple provides support for its services like Music, Books and Applications all through its ITunes store, IBooks store and MobileME services. Local backup service available when cloud services fail.

Google provides applications integrated within the OS only for its Services like Gmail, calendar, Gtalk, Contacts, Android Market while support for all other extra services like music, data backup and sync are provided by third party applications.

One of the most important advantage of IOS what we found is that all IOS devices get the latest software updates available, So every device with its hardware supported gets the latest software update available.

Though Google releases the latest version of software updates for every six months, not all the Android devices get the software update, only a few devices receive the update. This is purely dependent on specific Phone Manufacture. So a specific model may have the best hardware but an outdated Operating System. Only a very few percent of Android users are running the latest OS available till date.

There is very little tweaking and customization allowed by iOS. You have to do it Apple’s way or else it’s not an option. These limits allow iOS products to function very well within the protected space as rules set out by Apple. However, if you have the need or desire to do something that is not within the boundaries Apple has set for iOS (and can’t create an app to handle it) or else leave it for luck!

The Android operating system is open source and so hardware makers can take it and do almost anything they want with it. This is one of the main reasons why the devices are not getting software updates as soon as they are available. The Device manufactures are tweaking the UI adding up their very own interface like HTC Sense, SAMSUNG Touch Wiz etc. This may happen or not and thus Update fails leaving the user with outdated OS.

Apple can design hardware whatever best suits its software and make the whole device a packed master piece.

It’s not the case with Android, different Manufactures build different Hardware and Android should abide by it.

But one thing is clear,unless or until Google puts some restrictions to Mobile manufacturers regarding the OS updates available to customers it cannot have the blessings from its hardcore fans who own an Android!

But all these don’t mean IOS is ahead of Android OS. As long as Google is developing Android with its support and services,Android stands still like a Giant with millions of devices being sold every minute all over the world and also being an open source it’s a big advantage to Android as well as its developers.

Despite of all the Advantages/Disadvantages of each Operating System people who are using their Mobile Device operating system knew the power of their OS and how far they are able to agree it!

A geek in daily life who loves technology, travelling, music, arts as well as nature. His passion for telecom by integrating technology with global insights and real scenarios makes him end up with some fascinating analysis on TelecomTalk.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name *

Email *

City

Website

Comment

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

ADMarch 21, 2011 8:09 pm, 8:09 PM

IOS and Android have both advantages as well as disadvantages. ISO mainly of maintaining privacy, it’s does’t have bluetooth option, wi-fi hot spot and USB tethering, Android almost over come these problem’s.
Iphone popular in US mainly because of it’s great deal with AT&T on contract for 2yrs you get phone for free this made people to die for IOS since most of people in US use mac computers, Ipod’s as they are familiar with it’s User friendly Interface (as Nokia in INDIA).

..the worse part with deligation of power is the misuse of the same…with android being an open system Google seems to be doing what Microsoft did with Windows and Linux repeated….to spread their footmark in the market..& once it spreads..then Google will start making the RULES & building walls around the same…will they b able to control it then will be a questin Time will answer..but surely Ios has a need to worry!!

Both the Mobile OS having its own advantage/features and disadvantage/drawback.
But i think, IOS is much better than android on application level.
IOS can grow more if it become available with another mobile manufacturer. as well android can also grow more if it available with Nokia Phone. But both above said things are impossible in near future.
IOS is available only with Iphone/IPAD/IPOD Touch device so many people can’t get these devices. but nowadays every manufacturer is coming with android OS. So, defiantly Android will get more market share than others.

Well,its true that Apple’s ios has its own standards, IOS clearly shows the uniqueness as it is available only in Iphone & even performance is best as Apple has designed the hardware so that software will perform at its best. But Android is more becoming like a local OS, even the chinese phones like LAVA,MICROMAX,LEMON,VIDEEOCON are using Android in their phones & surely this will restrict few users to use anroid

Apple makes 1 or 2 device a year and solds millions of unit but android devices are manufactured more than 50,000 a year so after selling this much android devices google is able to get this % of share, while Apple with only 2 devices a year has such a huge market share. Symbian is such a garbage i hate it. I have used 2 symbian phones and then never bought it. Symbian becomes slow and slow day by day….Nokia stop making garbage like N8, E77….

good article. interesting to see that ios leads in market share. i hope they are only used in apple devices. so for getting more than 50% market share apple should be the single largest mobile manufacturer considering all others together…